How Often Should Emergency Lighting Be Tested?
Emergency lighting is one of those systems that does nothing visible until the day it is needed, and then it does everything, guiding people out of a building when the normal lighting has failed. Because it sits idle most of the time, it is also easy to assume it will simply work, which is exactly why regular testing matters so much. The question we are often asked is how often emergency lighting should be tested, and the short answer is a brief functional test every month and a full duration test once a year, both carried out and recorded properly.
Is emergency lighting a legal requirement?
It is. Emergency escape lighting is a legal requirement under both the Building Regulations and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and it applies across the full range of business premises, including offices, factories, pubs and clubs, schools, hospitals and entertainment venues, extending even to temporary structures such as tents and marquees. The governing standard is BS 5266-1, which requires a building to have adequate illumination to support escape and to help people identify firefighting and other fire safety equipment. It is worth distinguishing this from standby lighting, which is designed to let ordinary activities continue during a power failure and is not itself a legal requirement.
How often should it be tested?
Testing must be carried out by a competent person, given how much rests on the system working when it is called upon. The exact regime can vary a little depending on whether the system is maintained or non-maintained, but as a general guide the system should be tested monthly, supported by an annual full duration test as set out in BS 5266-1.
The monthly functional test
The monthly test, often called a flick test, is a short functional check that simulates a failure of the mains supply to confirm that each lamp switches on and illuminates correctly, with the luminaires also checked to be clean and free from damage. It should be carried out using the secure device key, commonly known as a fish key because of its shape, rather than by switching off the mains lighting power, since cutting the mains could leave other occupants in the dark and create a hazard. A record of every monthly test must be kept, and any faults reported to the responsible person so that remedial action can be taken.
The annual full duration test
Once a year, the system must undergo a full duration test, which for most systems means three hours in line with BS 5266-1. The primary lighting circuit is switched off and the emergency lights are left running for the full three hours, during which every luminaire should remain lit, and any that fail or fall short are defects to be reported and remediated as soon as possible. This too is a job for a competent person, and in practice it is often carried out alongside a fire alarm service, since the technician can attend to other work while the lamps run down their duration.
Why the full three hours mattersIt is tempting to think a lamp that comes on has passed, but the duration test exists because batteries degrade over time. A luminaire might illuminate at the start and then fade well before three hours are up, which is precisely the situation that would leave an escape route dark during a prolonged incident. Only running the full rated duration reveals whether the batteries still hold up.
How the testing is carried out
Good testing depends on good records. Each luminaire should be identified and given a location reference, so that a log can be kept of the tests, any defects, any damage and the remedial action taken for each individual fitting. The test itself works by simulating a mains failure on the normal lighting circuit or on individual luminaires, and where a building or a large circuit is controlled by a single switch, the person testing needs to walk the whole building or circuit to confirm that every light is working and undamaged rather than assuming it from one location. After the power is restored, it is worth checking the building again to confirm there are no faults and that the emergency lights are charging properly, and this is best done before or after working hours to keep disruption to a minimum.
High risk task areas
Some areas carry requirements of their own. Where there is moving machinery or vehicles, flammable materials, or a control room associated with a potentially dangerous process, the space is treated as a high risk task area, with different requirements for the level of illumination to be maintained and the duration of operation. The purpose of high risk task area lighting is to allow a process to be shut down safely and for people to leave the area without undue risk from the process itself, and because a hazard can persist long after the normal lighting has failed, this lighting must be designed to keep the area illuminated for as long as the hazard continues to exist.
Keeping it on a sound footing
The pattern is consistent with the rest of fire safety. The responsible person is accountable for making sure the testing happens, for keeping the records that prove it, and for acting on any defects, while the testing itself is carried out by a competent person. Emergency lighting also forms part of the wider fire risk assessment, which should confirm that the lighting provided is adequate for the building and its escape routes and that it is being maintained as it should be.
As independent assessors covering the North West, North Wales and the West Midlands, we look at emergency lighting as part of the overall fire risk assessment, confirming that it is suitable for your building and that your testing and record-keeping meet the requirement, with no systems to sell you in the process.
Unsure if your emergency lighting is up to standard?
We can check that your emergency lighting and its testing regime are adequate for your building as part of a fire risk assessment, giving you an objective view of where you stand. If you would like to discuss it, please get in touch.
Get in touch Fire Risk AssessmentsThis article is provided for general guidance and does not constitute professional advice for any specific premises. It refers to the Building Regulations, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and BS 5266-1, the standard for emergency lighting. Considerable care has been taken to ensure accuracy at the time of writing, but legislation and guidance change over time. Fletcher Risk Management Limited provides Fire Risk Assessments, Fire Door Inspections and Fire Safety Training across the North West, North Wales and the West Midlands.